Only four rounds until we hit finals and things are starting to heat up.
Who starred in this week's RugbyWA - Team of the Week?
1. Malakai Tuipulotu – Kalamunda
One main reason for the 'Bulls' lead over Palmyra at halftime was the strength in their forward pack.
Paired with Mac Heke, the physicality that Tuipulotu brings is unmatched in this competition and was invaluable in throwing Pally of their game early last Saturday.
2. Dylan Hutchins – Wests Scarborough
The former RugbyWA Senior Academy athlete Hutchins continues to have consistence performances.
His throwing into the line-out has been dead on, allowing him to control Wests possession throughout the game.
Now emerging as one of the best hookers in the Premier Grade, don't be surprised if young Dylan Hutchins will be looking to take the next step up soon.
3. Kaisa Reidy – Cottesloe
It was good to see long time ‘Gull’ Kaisa Reidy back on the park in the Premier Grade.
His pure size and strength are enough to intimidate any opposition and he ran some nice lines and broke more than a few tackles this weekend.
4. Brandon Olow - Perth Bayswater
Abrasive lock Brandon Olow loves a physical matchup and the Coastal Cavaliers were the perfect opposition to bring his best game to.
Olow demanded the ball at every possession and bashed through the Cavs defence rewarding him with two tries in the game.
Despite the loss Olow was a bright spot in Baysie's game and expect to see him only get better as we draw closer to finals.
5. Ben Grant – Cottesloe
Grant is starting to get on a roll coming into the backend of this season putting in very solid performances.
Now his second TOTW selection in a row Grant will be invaluable come finals time for coach Ryan Westaway and is setting himself up well for a return to the Western Force in 2021.
Playing alongside his brother Will is playing dividends for both players making Cottesloe and even stronger favourite for the 2020 Premiership title.
6. Ben Taylor – UWA
It’s a surprise that this is only Ben Taylor’s first TOTW selection this year.
The former Perth Gold flanker has been stellar all year and his performance this week against ARKs was no different.
Emerging as a leader in this young UWA side, expect Taylor to lead the charge in a late push towards a premiership finals spot.
7. TeRangiamoa Rapatini – Coastal Cavaliers
Not many openside flankers commanded this position in this week’s TOTW, however in the Coastal Cavaliers win over Perth Bayswater TeRangiamoa Rapatini stood out as a clear pick.
Rapatini made his work count in defence seizing some a number of turnovers giving the Cavs the edge they needed to get over a strong Perth Bayswater team.
8. Alexander Masibaka – Associates
Yet again Alex Masibaka made a huge impact for his club this weekend.
He was a menace around the ruck and made more than a few big tackles and as always he was also extremely hard to stop when given just the tiniest bit of space.
Ever since taking the reins as starting number eight Masibaka has excelled for ‘Soaks’ and is going to be a huge factor in this last stretch of the season.
9. Reece Anapu – Palmyra
A special mention must go to Western Force halfback Rory O’Sullivan who almost made the list after a spectacular performance against ARKs, dominating at every turn.
However the return of RugbyWA Senior Academy athlete Reece Anapu has done wonders for Palmyra’s form.
Anapu put in a complete performance for a halfback, drawing his defenders off the ruck well and was able to put his teammates into some massive holes.
10. Harrison Webster – Associates
Back in the 10 jersey Harry Webster was looking to impress head coach Damien Elton.
He commanded the ball on multiple occasions and for his work he was awarded with a couple of crafty tries.
Websters ability to put the ball into space is getting better game after game and now he’s back in the fly-half position it’s certainly paying off.
11. Facundo Aguirre – Associates
Another fan favourite returning to the Associates starting line-up this round, Facundo Aguirre was as dynamic as ever.
The Argentinean was able to always beat the first tackler leading to two tries that were noting short of spectacular.
12. Zachary Nicolson - Coastal Cavaliers
Paired with his outside centre James Petherick, Zachary Nicolson more affectionally known as ‘the mullet’ was unstoppable over the weekend.
Both centres’ ran extremely hard lines on Saturday and were even better at putting each other into space causing for some handy line breaks all over the field.
13. Pama Fou – Wanneroo
The performance outside centre Pama Fou put in this weekend was nothing short of incredible scoring three tries, taking advantage of a napping Joondalup backline.
Similar to when he was back in a rugby 7s jersey, Fou’s combination of athleticism and skill was almost unstoppable
Now with Jordan Gratton and Robert Strotz also coming into their own, the Roo-Dogs are forming one of the most formidable backlines in the league
14. Porikapa Tukaki – Joondalup
With both Clay Uyen and Kade Pearce out from the weekend’s match it was safe to say that the Brothers had quite a depleted backline agaist Wanneroo.
However, this gave the unlikely opportunity for one young winger to step up and take leadership of his team.
Porikapa Tukaki caused a number of issues for Wanneroo on the weekend, keeping Joondalup in the game.
His confidence with ball in hand was inspiring and it led to two great individual tries early in the game.
15. Grason Makara – Wanneroo
It was no doubt Western Force signee Grason Makara was going to close out this list once again after his performance on Saturday.
He was strong with ball in hand and was extremely physical putting big hits in, all around the park.
Now interim vice captain, watch Makara try and lead his beloved green and whites towards a Fortescue Premiership finals berth.
